Christmas Must Be Something More
by Arrowhead1996
Summary: A very special Christmas trip leads to unexpected results.
1. Travels

**Merry Christmas, Everyone!**

**Okay, it's not Christmas yet, but it will be in about thirteen hours.**

**Originally, this was going to be several chapters, but I ended up only having time for two. I'll be posting the second chapter either tonight or tomorrow morning before all the Christmas craziness starts. I hope you all enjoy, have a very Merry Christmas, and remember the true reason for this wonderful holiday.**

* * *

><p>Chapter One<p>

Traveling

One of Sashura Makarova's favorite things about the TARDIS was that it could be any day she wanted it to be. It could be her birthday for a week, Saturday for a month, or Christmas for an entire year. What with all the things the Doctor did for herself and Rose when they celebrated things, it was a surprise they weren't spoiled rotton.

The Doctor and Rose were currently trying to decide where they should go next. The Doctor wanted to take them to Barcelona, the planet. And Rose was leaning that direction. But Shura had a different idea. "I want to go to Christmas."

"Which one?" the Doctor asked when Rose expressed her agreement to that plan.

"The first one."

_~~~~DW~~~~_

Rose and Shura had to scrounge for a while before they were able to find something in the wardrobe that they could wear that wouldn't get them stoned or something.

"I didn't realize it would be this hard to find something to wear," Shura commented as she and Rose got changed.

"I know! I thought the TARDIS had everything." The sound of machinery groaning made them laugh.

"You know we love you," Shura assured the ship. With ease, she pulled her dark hair back and tucked it neatly under the headscarf. Rose was having trouble though.

"Let me help you with that," Shura said, approaching her friend. Rose gratefully relinquished control of her hair.

"How did you get it done so easily?" she asked.

"Padme taught me how to work with lots of different hairstyles. She has a few that are similar to this, so I just adapted it." She stepped back, "There, perfect."

They were both wearing long robes of rough material that draped all the way down to the floor. Rose's was red, and Shura's was a rich, chocolate brown that set off her light skin. They were both wearing jeans and normal shoes underneath the robes though, since adventures with the Doctor tended to require a lot of running.

Shura wore her newest signal-dampening bracelet that the Doctor hoped would keep her from seeing things that weren't really there. If only she could be sure it would actually work.

They returned to the Console room to find the Doctor standing impatiently by the door. "Did you really need all that time to dressed?" he asked.

"We had to find these outfits first," Shura protested. "And Rose needed my help with her hair."

The Doctor muttered something that they couldn't really understand, and beckoned them to join him. He, of course, hadn't changed clothes. He just wore his normal, pinstriped suit and Converse.

He grinned at them and pulled open the door.


	2. The Night Before Christmas

**Merry Christmas, Everyone!**

**It really is this time!**

**I hope you all enjoy this last chapter. I had a TON of fun writing it, and it felt really good to do it. I hope you will all continue to read my main DW story, where you will get to see lots more of Shura and find out more about her unique situation.**

**By the way... the title of this story is taken from the Taylor Swift song by the same name. It totally shows what this story and Christmas itself is really about.**

**Never forget the true meaning of Christmas!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Two<p>

The Night Before Christmas

They were greeted by a stone wall and Shura laughed. "I think you parked wrong," she told the Doctor.

With a frustrated look, he brushed past her and went back to the console so that he could turn the ship.

When they returned, and he opened the door again, they were greeted by the sight of a crowded street in what looked to be a small town. The Doctor stepped out first, and then beckoned for them to join him. Shura was the last out, and relaxed when she wasn't instantly bombarded with characters trying to pull her back into their world.

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice them, and Shura began looking around, trying to figure out where they were. It seemed to be late afternoon, and the streets were crowded with people in long lines going to and from wooden tables staffed by Roman soldiers.

"Looks like you did it," she told the Doctor.

"Of course I did! Why wouldn't I have done it?" he asked, sounding offended.

"One year," Rose shot back at him.

He huffed, "One time. One time I get it wrong, and now you're always expecting me to get it wrong!"

Suddenly, a Roman soldier was standing over them, gripping Shura's shoulder tightly and glaring at the Doctor suspiciously. "Have you been counted? Where do you hail from?" His voice was gruff and, no matter how hard she wiggled, Shura couldn't break free from his grasp.

"Sir, if you would kindly unhand my friend, I would be happy to answer your questions." The Doctor's voice was stern, and left no room for argument.

The guard reluctantly released Shura's shoulder, and she hurried over to Rose who pulled her quickly in for a hug. The Doctor stepped in front of them both and pulled out his psychic paper so that he could show the guard what he wanted. "As you can see, all our papers are in order," the Doctor said curtly.

"Very well, carry on," the soldier didn't even glance backward before striding off into the crowd.

The Doctor turned to Shura, who had finally been released from Rose's embrace. "Are you alright?" he asked her gently, placing his hand on her shoulder to check it.

She nodded and didn't wince much as he touched the forming bruise beneath her robe, "_Ja_," she told him. "I'm fine."

"Good." He looked down at his psychic paper and raised an eyebrow. "It seems there's a census going on here. I think we're in Bethlehem."

"Wonderful!" Shura exclaimed with a grin. "We'll need to find Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus, unless he hasn't been born yet."

The Doctor led them a little ways down the street before asking a passing man what the date was. "December 24th," the man replied with a smile.

"Thank you," the Doctor replied, and they continued on. "Well, it is Christmas Eve."

"He could be born tonight then!" Shura exclaimed with a grin.

"Hold on," Rose interjected, "but they didn't use the same calendar as us. How can we be sure?"

"The TARDIS translates dates as well as languages," the Doctor explained. "He told us the date according to his calendar, and the TARDIS translated it into your calendar."

"Your ship never ceases to amaze me," Shura said. The Doctor grinned at her, and was just about to reply when a loud cry split the air not far away. As though it was now an instinct, all three of them turned and shot toward the sound.

~~~~DW~~~~

Outside one house, they found a small group of men trying to reassure one man in the center of the group who winced terribly at each cry from inside. Shura knew instantly that they were at the right house.

Before the Doctor could react, she snatched the psychic paper from his hand and held it out to the nearest man. "If you please, my lord," she said humbly. "I may be able to help the young lady."

The man looked down at the paper and nodded. "Your brother is welcome to wait outside with us." She bowed a little as she took the paper back and beckoned for Rose to follow her inside.

The Doctor was stunned. Never before had Shura shown so much initiative to actually take his stuff and use it and then not give it back. He was tempted to follow her, but he knew the customs of this time on Earth. Men were not allowed.

~~~~DW~~~~

Rose too was surprised when Shura pulled her inside the house. She had been expecting a stable or a cave. She had also been expecting to have to find Mary and Joseph as they entered the town, Mary already in labor and Joseph scrambling to find them a place to stay. Instead, a group of women clustered around Mary who was lying on a bed of blanket-covered straw in the center of a depression in the floor.

Shura, still acting confident and in control, moved toward one of the women helping Mary and rested a hand on her shoulder to get the woman's attention. "I can help her. My mother is a midwife back home, and she has taught me some new ways of helping her."

The women shifted to give Shura access to the pregnant lady, and the Russian quickly assessed the situation. Her hand slipped beneath her robe and emerged with a small bottle of something. Shura poured it into Mary's mouth, and then smoothed the woman's hair back from her face.

Mary's face relaxed as the pain eased. "That will help with the pain, but there's still work to do." Shura was calm and collected and seemed to inspire the other women who were helping Mary.

As the Russian girl stepped back a little, Rose asked in a low voice, "How did you know what to do?"

"It helps to have lots of friends who are doctors," she whispered back before continuing to tend to Mary."

~~~~DW~~~~

Back outside the house, the Doctor stood with Joseph and the other men. Joseph seemed concerned when Mary's cries suddenly eased and the Doctor was quick to reassure him. "That's just Shura. She'll help your wife."

"Your sister must be a miracle worker to ease the pains of childbirth," Joseph replied.

"Well, I don't know about that. But she is good."

The sun began to set, and Mary's cries continued to emerge from inside intermittently. The Doctor was getting impatient. He still didn't quite understand why they were here. What was so important about this baby other than that he was supposed to be some kind of religious figure?

Finally, he couldn't take it any more and told Joseph he would be back soon, but that he needed to go for a walk. Joseph nodded distractedly, and the Doctor left.

He headed in the direction of the TARDIS, planning on jumping ahead to the morning so he could skip all the boring parts. However, just as he reached the door of the ship, a brilliant light appeared over the fields not far away. Abandoning his plan, he ran toward the light.

When he arrived, he could hardly believe what he saw: Several shepherds cowered with their sheep under the gaze of a brightly glowing person. The glowing figure spread his arms and addressed the shepherds, **_"Fear not! I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people."_** His voice resonated in the still, night air, and the stars above seemed to pulse and shine brighter as he spoke. **_"Today, in the town of Bethlehem a Savior has been born to you. He is CHRIST THE LORD! And this will be a sign to you: you shall find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."_**

At that moment, a whole host of figures appeared in the sky above them, singing praises to God. The Doctor whipped out his screwdriver and pointed it at the figures, hoping to get a reading. As soon as he activated it, the screwdriver exploded in his hand, overloading and dropping sparks on the grass. He dropped it quickly, shaking his hand to rid himself of the pain.

He looked back at the figures and was stunned to see that the first one was staring directly at him. _"Child of Galifrey. You are not too broken for forgiveness. Turn to the LORD and He will accept you into his arms."_

The angels had, apparently, finished their song, and they left, leaving the night dark once more except for the light of the stars and the thin slice of the new moon.

The Doctor stood for a long moment, simply stunned at the angel's words. Of course they were angels. Not aliens or monsters from another planet. They had to be actual angels.

He finally gathered enough thoughts together to look down at the shepherds. They were gathering things together and heading toward the town. He turned quickly and headed back to the house.

It wasn't hard to find, because Rose was standing right outside, clearly looking for him. As he approached, she gave him a huge smile. He was stunned at the glow he could see in her eyes. "Come see!" she cried, and grabbed his hand to pull him inside.

The lower floor of the house was arranged as a stable, and several animals were settled around the edges of the room. At the center, Mary and Joseph leaned over the manger where a little bundle lay snuggled in the hay. Sashura was crouched at the end of the manger, with a blissful smile on her face.

Rose led him quietly to the side of the manger and he looked down at the face of the baby. The little boy seemed to be asleep but, when the Doctor leaned over Him, His eyes opened and gazed directly into the Doctor's eyes.

The Time Lord stood, frozen, as the little boy seemed to stare directly into his soul. He finally knelt beside the manger, feeling something he couldn't name fill his soul. A hand on his arm made him look up into Shura's eyes. "_Mir_. Peace. That is His gift to the world."

Before the Doctor could reply, there was a tentative knock on the doorframe. He turned to see the shepherds gathered around the doorway, peering in. "May we enter?" the first one asked. Joseph nodded and the Doctor, Shura and Rose moved out of the way so that the shepherds could get a good look at the newborn king.

As the Doctor watched the scene unfold before them, the words of the angel echoed through his head, _"You are not too broken for forgiveness."_ Shura had been telling him similar things ever since she started traveling with him. Now an angel had said it to him. He wrapped one arm around each girl and pulled them close.

"_S Rozhdestvom_," Shura whispered. "Merry Christmas, Doctor." He and Rose echoed her statement. It was a Merry Christmas indeed.


End file.
